Week 33 – Photo of the WeeK

So for the past 4 days I have been enjoying a relaxing break in the Ardennes, France with my wonderful boyfriends older brother, his wife & their 2 boys… It has been most enjoyable, the weather has been kind & had some truly wonderful food, while taking in breath taking sights.

This week’s photo is of a most enjoyable meal we had yesterday: Fromage a Raclette

'Totally Delicious'

A little description of this dish (just in case you’ve not come across this before, I certainly hadn’t but I’m sure glad I have now):

Raclette is a semi-hard cheese made on both sides of the French and Swiss Alps. Valais Raclette or Fromage a Raclette, as they are traditionally called, are made using ancestral methods with unpasteurised milk of cows grazing on the alpine meadows.

The name Raclette comes from the French word ‘racler’, which means ‘to scrape’. The cheese has got a thin, brownish-orange coloured rind and a pale yellow pate with a few and scattered open holes. It is has a very distinctive pleasant, aromatic smell with a creamy texture, similar to Gruyere cheeses, which does not separate even when melted. The flavour can vary from nutty, slightly acidic to milky.

While Switzerland supplies 80% of Raclettes, French Raclettes are slightly softer with a smooth and creamy flavour.

I have to invest in a Raclette device in the future as it was so delightful & I could happily live off this dish alone… YumTastic!!!

Afterwards we ate some local desserts that we had purchased earlier in the day from Rethel, they were so enticing with their looks & tasted just as good too 🍰👍👏